Automobile door check



May 5, 1936. R. c. JACOBS AUTOMOBILE DOOR CHECK Filed May 25, 1935" ATTORNEYS 'ing to avoid stopping Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES AUTOMOBILE DOOR CHECK Rex 0. Jacobs, Detroit,

Jacobs Company, Detroit,

of Michigan Mich., assignor to F. L. Mich., a corporation Application May 25, 1935, Serial No. 23,352

6 Claims.

This invention relates to door checks particularly adapted for use on automobile doors, the primary object of the invention being to provide means for limiting the swinging movement of a hingedly supported door so as to prevent damaging contact thereof with the adjacent parts of an automobile body when the door is moved toward its open position. v

It is well known that when movement of a swinging door is abruptly stopped, such as by a positively functioning door check, stresses are set up in the door, the hinges supporting the door and the door jamb with the result that all of these parts are subject to strains and the hinges are liable to be torn from the jamb or from the door. Accordingly it is another object of this invention to provide a door check with cushioning means for limiting the swinging movement of a door, the purpose of the cushioning means bethe swinging movement too abruptly and to avoid the stresses and strains which result when the door is stopped too abruptly.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a door check with yieldable means for holding a door in an open position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a door check having one end adapted for connection to a door and the other end being adapted for connection to a door jamb, the means for connecting the check to the jamb having cushioning characteristics and being constructed so that in theevent that an excessive pressure is being exerted on the door the connection with the door jamb may be severed without destroying any of the parts and without impairing their future use after they have been re-assembled.

With the above and other ends in view the invention consists in with reference to in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross section of a door and door jamb with the present door check connected thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the door in an open position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross section of the door jamb illustrating another stage in the function of the door check, and

Fig. 4 is a cross section illustrating the connection of the door check to the door.

Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts.

The numeral l designates a door jamb having an opening 2 therein behind which is mounted a the accompanying drawing,

matters hereinafter set forth bracket 3 having a socket 4. The wall 5 of the socket 4 is provided with an opening 6. A door I is connected to the door jamb l by a hinge 8, the vertical edge 9 having lugs It] struck out- .wardly therefrom and supporting a pin II to 5 which one end of a spring metal ribbon i2 is attached. The ribbon I2 extends through the opening 6 in the socket wall 5 and has its end bent to prevent its being pulled through the opening 6.

The spring strip or ribbon i2 is bent to form a 10 loop I3 at its end so disposed with respect to the normal run of the ribbon that the latter is nontangent al with the circumference of the loop at the point of juncture therewith. This particular disposition of the loop, with respect to the normal run of the ribbon, provides a shoulder M at the point of juncture. The loop l3 follows a regular curve and substantially describes a semi-circle which merges into an irregularly curved or more or less flattened portion IS. The irregularly curved part l5 terminates in an angularly bent portion 16 and a shoulder I1 is formed at the meeting angle of the irregularly curved part l5 and the angular part Hi. The angular portion 16 has its extremity bent inwardly, or in other words, extending in a direction toward the normal run of the ribbon l2 to provide a guide part l8, and integral with the guide part is a spring finger l9 whose end projects through the opening 6.

When the door I is moved on its hinges from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2 the ribbon or spring strip l2 and the spring finger l9 are drawn through the opening 6 until the guide part l8 strikes the wall 5. At the time the guide part [8 contacts with the wall 5 its end will project into the opening 6 and further movement of the door will cause it to slide over the edge of the opening as illustrated in Fig. 3. In order to permit this l3 and I5 'must be flexed and their natural tendency to resiliently oppose such flexing initially retards movement of the door.

When movement of the door moves the ribbon so that it reaches the position shown in Fig. 2 the edge of the wall 5 at the bottom of the opening 6 will be disposed in the meeting angle ll of the parts I5 and I6 so that the resilient pressure exerted by the loop yieldably retards movement of the ribbon in either direction. In the event that movement of the door is not finally checked when the parts reached the position shown in Fig. 2 the loop flexes from the shape shown in full lines to that shown in dotted lines so as to bring the shoulder l5 into engagement function the loop parts 40 with the wall 5 and the end of part l8 into engagement with the ribbon l2. The loop on the ribbon resiliently opposes movement from the full line to the dotted line position to such an extent that under ordinary conditions the door will be moving so slowly at the time its movement is finally checked that no damage will result.

The spring ribbon I2 is provided with an armate or curved shape and when the door is opened and the ribbon is placed under tension the ribbon tends to straighten. The spring, in resiliently opposing this tendency to straighten provides additional cushioning action in the retarding of movement of the door.

When the parts are in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 the loop is closed, by contact of the part l8 with the ribbon l2, and its natural flexibility is destroyed to a great degree, However, in the event of an excessive amount of pressure on the door at this time, that is to say sufflcient pressure to destroy the hinges, the loop may compress and pull through the opening 6.

The spring finger l9 engages the lower edge of the opening 6 and urges the ribbon l2 into engagement with the upper edge of the opening so as to prevent rattling of the parts when the door is closed as shown in Fig. 1. The spring finger I9 has an additional function in that it resiliently opposes straightening of the ribbon [2 when the door is fully opened, thus providing greater strength in the cushioning means.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described it will be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention, and such changes are contemplated. For example, the description throughout refers to the part I as being the door jamb and the part 1 as being the door, but it is obvious that this order might be reversed so that part I represents a door and part 1 the door Jamb.

What I claim 'is:-

1. A door check comprising resiliently flexible material having a retainer receiving means at one end, a yieldable enlargement at the other end of said check and adapted to engage the side walls of an opening to normally prevent the check being drawn through said opening, said enlargement being yieldable to the extent that it becomes compressed in the presence of extraordinary pressure whereby it passes through said opening and resilient to the extent that it returns to its original form after it has passed through said opening.

2. A door check comprising resiliently flexible material having a retainer receiving means at one end, a yieldable enlargement at the other end of said check and adapted to engage the side walls of an opening to normally prevent the check being drawn through said opening, said enlargement being yieldable to the extent that it becomes compressed in the presence of extraordinary pressure whereby it passes through said opening and resilient to the extent that it returns to its original form after it has passed through said opening, said check also having yieldable shoulders between said retainer receiving means and said yieldable enlargement adapted to engage the side walls of said opening as said check is drawn therethrough. 3. A door check comprising a flexible element having retainer receiving means at one end thereof, said flexible element having a resilient loop at its other end, and a plurality of shoulders formed at oppositeendsnf said loop, said shoulders being disposed whereby they consecutively engage different walls of an opening as said check is drawn therethrough.

4. A door check comprising a flexible element having retainer receiving means at one end thereof, said flexible element having a resilient loop at its other end, a plurality of shoulders formed at opposite ends of said loop, said shoulders being disposed whereby they consecutively engage diiferent walls of an opening as said check is drawn therethrough, and means on the end of flexible element after said loop for rigidsaid loop for engaging said a predetermined flexing of ifying said loop.

5. A door check adapted to be drawn between opposite side walls 01 an ceiving means at one end of said flexible element, a resiliently flexible loop on the other end of said flexible element, a retaining portion integral with said loop and adapted to engage a wall of said opening, and a guiding surface adapted to enter said opening and engage a wall thereof to compress said loop when said check is drawn through said opening.

6. A door check adapted to be drawn between opposite side walls of an opening in a body, said check comprising a flexible element, retainer receiving means at one end of said flexible element, a resiliently flexible loop on the other end of said flexible element, a retaining portion integral with said loop and adapted to engage a wall of said opening, a guiding surface adapted to enter said opening and engage a wall thereof to compress said loop when said check is drawn through said opening, and a spring finger at one end of said guiding surface and adapted to yieldably engage a wall of said opening to prevent rattling of the check therein.

REX C. JACOBS. 

